One Wish
by JennieRyan
Summary: After two years of marriage, Crutchie and Jennie want only one thing. A child.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Here is the fourth installment in the Crutchie and Jennie series, I hope you enjoy it.** **At this point Crutchie and Jennie have been married for two years and Jack and Katherine have been married for one year.**

 _September 1905_

"Thank you for inviting me over Katherine, everything was delicious." Jennie smiled as she finished her scone and set her teacup down on the table in front of her.

Katherine chuckled. "Don't thank me, I can hardly boil water without accidentally setting something on fire. This was all the work of the bakery down the street."

"Well, then I'll be sure to stop by and give them my compliments on my way home," Jennie replied, giggling.

"Before you go, there's actually something I wanted to tell you. If you have time, that is," Katherine said, glancing at the clock worriedly. "I know it's already five."

"I can stay a little longer, Charlie won't be home from work until six," Jennie reassured her. "What is it?"

Katherine hesitated for a moment, clasping her hands together tightly. When she spoke her voice was soft and tender. "I'm pregnant."

Jennie gasped. "Oh, congratulations! How far along are you?"

"Almost three months," Katherine said, unable to suppress the grin which now spread across her face any longer. "It still doesn't feel real."

"I can imagine." Jennie smiled. "I take it Jack knows?"

"He does. I wasn't going to tell anyone else for another few weeks, but he's so excited I thought it would be cruel to make him wait any longer."

"I'm excited, too!" Jennie exclaimed, reaching forward to hug Katherine. "I hope you know that I'm going to spoil this little one rotten."

Katherine laughed. "I would expect nothing less."

 _ **-Break-**_

When Crutchie entered the tiny one-bedroom apartment he and Jennie shared the first thing he noticed was that there was no smell of food cooking like there normally was. The second thing he noticed was Jennie, sitting at the kitchen table staring off into the distance.

"Jennie?" Crutchie asked as he shut the door and set his bag down, his voice laced with confusion and more than a little concern. "Jennie, what's wrong?"

Jennie looked up in surprise, Crutchie's voice startling her out of her trance. "Charlie! I'm sorry, I completely lost track of time, let me get dinner started."

Jennie started to get up but Crutchie shook his head and made his way over to the table, sitting down across from Jennie and taking one of her hands. "Jennie. I ain't an idiot, much as ya like to call me one. I can tell something's buggin' you."

Jennie looked away from Crutchie, refusing to make eye contact with him. They sat like that for what seemed to be hours, until finally, Jennie spoke.

"Katherine and Jack are having a baby."

Crutchie blinked, then grinned happily as he fully processed what Jennie had told him. "That's great! I'll have to congratulate Jack in person next time I see him…" he trailed off as he noticed the tears slowly running down Jennie's cheeks. "Jennie? What's wrong?"

Jennie shook her head, furiously wiping at her eyes to try and make the tears stop. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry. It's nothing."

"It ain't nothin' if it's got ya all upset." Crutchie gently squeezed Jennie's hand. "Tell me what's wrong, please?"

"I just want a baby," Jennie whispered, her face crumpling as she began to sob.

"Oh, darlin'," Crutchie sighed as he hugged Jennie tightly and held her as she sobbed, in much the same way as the night when he had first asked her out on a date five years earlier.

"What if we never have children?" Jennie asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

"You don't know that that'll happen," Crutchie said soothingly. "We could have kids this time next year."

"Or we could live our whole lives without children. You don't know that that won't happen," Jennie countered.

"Jennie, look at me," Crutchie instructed. Jennie looked up at him, her eyes soft and still shining with unshed tears. "We'll have kids one day. I promise you that. Okay?"

Jennie hiccuped and smiled slightly. "Okay."

Crutchie smiled down at Jennie, his eyes tender and full of love. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **A/N: Infertility is sadly something which many men and women around the world struggle with today for a myriad of different reasons, and I wanted to explore that a little with Crutchie and Jennie in this story.**

 **Please review, and tell me what you think of this story so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

"I just… I dunno what to do Davey. Jennie's been so unhappy lately, an' I can't think how to make her feel better."

"I'm really not qualified to give advice," Davey said, looking apologetic. "I'm brutally single."

"I know." Crutchie sighed. "But it ain't like I can go to Jack, an' the only other one of the guys with kids is Mush an' he can't keep his mouth shut."

"So you came to me." Davey's lips quirked upward. "I'm touched."

"Shut up, Jacobs." Crutchie swatted him good-naturedly with his hat. "Ya know what I mean."

"I do." Davey grew somber. "But from what you've told me you're doing everything you can to make Jennie feel better. I think you're just going to have to wait for her to feel better on her own time. Or for…"

"Us to have a kid," Crutchie finished. "Yeah, that was what I was thinkin' too."

Davey grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more."

Crutchie smiled and clapped Davey on the shoulder. "Ya helped plenty. Don't feel bad."

"Okay." Davey smiled back. "Hey, how about we get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sure." Crutchie nodded. "Jacobi's sound good?"

Davey chuckled. "Always."

 _ **-Break-**_

"I just… I don't what to do Mam. I feel like I'm letting Charlie down."

"Oh, Jennie." Jennie's mother regarded her with a sympathetic expression and leaned forward pat her cheek comfortingly. "You aren't letting anyone down. Don't ever think that."

"Then why…" Jennie trailed off and sighed.

"There isn't any one reason," Jennie's mother soothed. "This just happens sometimes."

"I wish it didn't," Jennie murmured.

"I wish it didn't either." Jennie's mother fell silent for a minute, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"What is it?" Jennie asked, seeing her mother's expression.

"It's just an idea, but you could always speak with Mrs. O'Conner across the street. She's a midwife you know, she might have some ideas."

Jennie smiled at this hopeful thought. "That's a wonderful idea!"

 _ **-Break-**_

"There doesn't appear to be anything seriously wrong from what you've told me," Mrs. O'Conner said, sitting down across from Jennie. "What makes you think there might be?"

"Two years is a long time," Jennie said, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt as she spoke. She hadn't expected to be this nervous, she's known Mrs. O'Conner her whole life. "And we've been… trying for a lot of that time."

"Hmmm." Mrs. O'Conner nodded. "Well, all I can think to suggest is to try and match your attempts with your cycle. I could also give you some herbs which might help, but you'd have to come back another day since I don't have any of them handy at the moment."

"It's fine, you don't have to make extra work for yourself," Jennie said. "I'll try the first thing."

"Excellent." Mrs. O'Conner nodded and stood. "Let me know how it goes, but my guess is that you'll be pregnant before long."

"Thank you." Jennie smiled gratefully, then exited the apartment. Once she was out on the street she breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. O'Conner knew what she was talking about, she had seen countless neighborhood women about all sorts of problems related to pregnancy and childbirth. If she said Jennie would soon be pregnant, then Jennie had faith that she would be.

 **A/N: Women who were having trouble getting pregnant would often see either a midwife or a doctor for various remedies (some with actually credibility, and some which were pure quackery).**

 **I'm sorry for how short these first few chapters are, they do eventually get longer.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is chapter 3 of this story. Just a quick warning, there is a very brief mention of blood. It's nothing too dramatic, no one is injured or sick, but if that bothers you I would recommend skipping the first paragraph.**

"So much for faith," Jennie muttered to herself as she looked down at the blood spotting her undergarments. It had been three months since she had seen the midwife, and as evidenced by the arrival of her period right on schedule she was still not pregnant.

Sighing heavily, Jennie cleaned herself up and put a sanitary napkin on. As she was washing her hands in the sink, she caught sight of her reflection in the small mirror hanging above it. She could see the sadness in her eyes plain as day, which meant that Crutchie would notice soon enough as well. She hated to worry him, but it couldn't be helped. Jennie had always been a terrible actress.

When Jennie re-entered the apartment after finishing in the shared bathroom down the hall, she was surprised to see Jack sitting in a chair across from Crutchie in the parlor. They were laughing about something, and they both looked up when they heard Jennie come in.

"Hey, Jennie. How are ya?" Jack asked, flashing her a bright smile as she sat down next to Crutchie.

"I'm alright, thank you. How are you? And Katherine?"

"We'se both fine, thanks. I was actually just invitin' your husband here out for a drink tonight. Race wants me to go with him to this little pub down by the docks, an' I figured I'd better bring reinforcements in case I gotta carry the guy home."

Despite her low spirits, Jennie giggled slightly at the thought of Crutchie and Jack carrying Race home. It had certainly happened before. "Well then, you boys go have fun. Maybe I'll stop in to see Katherine after supper. Keep her company."

Jack nodded. "I'm sure she'd love that." He looked over at Crutchie and grinned. "Ready to go, kid?"

Crutchie grinned back. "Ready as I'll ever be." He turned to Jennie and kissed her chastely on the lips. "See ya later."

Jennie smiled up at Crutchie, some of her happiness returning just from being around him and his infectious optimism. "Have a nice time."

 _ **-Break-**_

"I swear, Jennie. You are an angel sent from God himself." Katherine smiled gratefully at Jennie from where she was sitting on her and Jack's sofa, resting her aching back.

Jennie smiled back as stood at the kitchen sink, cleaning up the dishes Katherine had left out on the table from earlier in the evening. "It's the least I can do, Katherine. Really."

Katherine sighed. "I feel like such a mule, though! I don't do anything anymore except sit around and sleep. I'm just so tired all the time."

Jennie chuckled at Katherine's frustrated expression. "You are growing a whole person inside you, in case you'd forgotten," she said as she turned the tap off and made her way back into the parlor.

"I hadn't," Katherine replied, smiling again as she gazed down at her stomach. She was about six months along now and was thoroughly glowing.

Jennie felt a twinge of jealousy as she saw how happy Katherine was, but she pushed it down with a stern reminder to herself that this most certainly wasn't the time or the place. "Have you and Jack picked out any names yet?"

Katherine shook her head. "No. We can't agree on anything anymore! What color to paint the nursery, what names we want, if we think the baby will be a boy or a girl…" Katherine trailed off and sighed again. "We're hopeless."

"I'm sure you'll figure it all out soon," Jennie reassured Katherine. "You've still got a few months."

"I certainly hope so," Katherine said. The two lapsed into silence for a little while, Jennie lost in her thoughts and Katherine studying her. Finally, Katherine spoke again. "Is something wrong, Jennie?"

Jennie looked over at Katherine, surprised by the sudden question. She quickly shook her head. "No. Everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

Katherine shrugged. "You've just seemed a little… off lately. You and Charlie both."

"It's really nothing. Nothing to trouble you with," Jennie insisted.

Katherine sat up a little straighter. "So there is something wrong!" she exclaimed, looking almost pleased with having gotten the truth out of Jennie.

Jennie realized what she'd said and her heart sank. "I- I guess you could say that. But nothing important, nothing at all."

"Will you tell me what it is?" Katherine asked. Despite her earlier satisfaction at having gotten Jennie to admit why she was acting strangely, her eyes shone with concern for her friend.

Jennie looked down at her lap, clenching her hands into tight fists. She desperately wanted to tell Katherine everything, but she didn't want to upset her friend.

As if she could read Jennie's mind, Katherine reached forward and took one of Jennie's hands, squeezing it comfortingly. "Whatever you want to tell me, I promise I won't get upset. Is it something about me? Or Jack?"

"No!" Jennie exclaimed vehemently. "Not at all. You're one of my best friends Katherine. I'm very grateful to have you in my life."

Katherine cocked her head to one side and frowned slightly. "Then what is it?"

Jennie was quiet for a minute longer, silently pondering how best to phrase what she had to say. Then she took a deep breath and began. "Me and Charlie… we want to have a baby. We've been trying for a long time, almost since we first got married. And, well… nothing." Jennie tried to smile. "I'm not jealous of you, exactly. But I won't lie, seeing you and Jack so happy… it's hard."

"Oh, Jennie," Katherine breathed. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be going through. And I understand completely why you didn't want to tell me. I wouldn't want to tell me."

"Thank you, Katherine," Jennie said gratefully. "Truly. But you don't have to feel bad for me. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

Katherine nodded. "I guess you're right. But…"

"But what?"

"I think there might be something I can do. I won't tell you what it is yet, not until everything is certain. But there is something to be done."

 **A/N: From about the late 1800s until the 1920s most women wore what was known as a sanitary belt, a belt which was worn under their undergarments and which cloth pads were attached to.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraged.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a brief warning for this chapter, there is somewhat significant (though not very graphic) talk of medical procedures in this chapter, so if that bothers you I would recommend skipping this chapter.**

"Mrs. Morris?"

Jennie looked up to see a nurse looking at her expectantly, a patient smile on her face. She stood and hurried over to where the woman was standing.

"You may go in now. Doctor Williams is expecting you."

Jennie nodded her thanks and walked into the small but well-furnished office, her heart hammering in her chest. She recalled her conversation with Katherine a few days earlier.

" _I've made an appointment for you on Thursday morning, to see Doctor Williams at his clinic. He's an old family friend, and he's been experimenting with some new procedures to help women get pregnant."_

 _Jennie blanched slightly at the word 'experiment'. "Katherine, this is very kind of you, but I don't know. I haven't even talked to Charlie about all this yet."_

" _Just go to the appointment. If you don't like what he tells you, then we'll say no more about it. But you should at least hear what he has to say." Katherine smiled encouragingly at Jennie and pressed a folded piece of paper into her hand._

 _Jennie looked down at the paper and saw that it was an address of a doctor's office uptown. She sighed and nodded as she tucked the paper inside her pocket. "Alright. I'll go."_

Doctor Williams was a middle-aged man, with graying hair and a pair of polished spectacles perched on his nose. He looked up from the papers he had been studying and gave Jennie a friendly smile. "Ah, you must be Mrs. Morris. Katherine Kelly's friend."

Jennie nodded, trying to smile back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Williams." She took the hand he had extended to her and gave it a quick shake.

"Likewise," Doctor Williams sat down and gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk. "Please, sit down."

Jennie slowly sat down, fidgeting slightly in the hard wooden chair. "Thank you for seeing me."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," the doctor reassured her. "I've known Katherine since she was a little girl, and I've been friends with her father for years. Helping a friend of hers is the least I can do." He rummaged through the papers organized in neat piles on his desk, finally pulling one out and opening it. "Now, shall we get down to business?"

"Um, yes. Yes, I suppose so," Jennie said softly. "I assume Katherine told you why I'm here?"

"She did yes," Doctor Williams confirmed. "I believe you and your husband are trying to have a baby?"

Jennie nodded. "Yes. We've been married for just over two years and… nothing, so far."

"Hmm." Doctor Williams flipped through the folder and made a few notes. "That is concerning, yes. Have you consulted anyone else about this?"

"Not another doctor, but a midwife. She gave me a few remedies to try, but none of them worked. That was a few months ago."

"I see." Doctor Williams nodded. "Well, I'll see what I can do to help you. The first thing I would like to do is perform a physical examination to try and rule some things out. Is that agreeable to you?"

"Now?" Jennie choked out. She hadn't expected to have to undress in front of a man she didn't know.

Doctor Williams must have sensed Jennie's alarm because he smiled at her reassuringly. "The nurse will be present the entire time, and if you're ever uncomfortable just tell me and I'll stop."

Jennie swallowed hard. "I- I suppose that's alright, then. Yes."

 _ **-Break-**_

The examination was brief, and Jennie was relieved to see that Doctor Williams was perfectly honorable the entire time. She supposed she should have trusted him immediately since she trusted Katherine and knew she would never do anything to intentionally harm her, but this was unlike anything she had ever done before.

"I'm pleased to report that you look to be perfectly healthy, Mrs. Morris," Doctor Williams announced when it was all over. "And you have a healthy and varied diet?"

"Yes," Jennie said as she buttoned up her skirt and pulled her gloves back on.

"Well, there's nothing wrong so far as I can tell," Doctor Williams said. "But of course that doesn't exactly solve your problem."

"Katherine mentioned that you were trying some new procedures?"

"Yes, I am." Doctor Williams nodded. "But as those are very new and largely untested, I can't, of course, recommend them to you."

"What exactly are they?" Jennie asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"One, mainly. Impregnating a woman with a sample of her husband's sperm using a syringe."

Jennie's eyes widened. "That sounds… invasive."

"It's really quite simple, and painless," Doctor Williams assured her. "But again, I can't recommend them to you outright. And I must tell you that it may not work."

"But there's a chance?"

"Yes. I've done it before, and had several successes I'm proud to say." Doctor Williams smiled. "Perhaps you would like to take a week or so to think about it? Talk it over with your husband?"

"Well… yes, I think that would be best," Jennie said. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Of course, ma'am."

 **A/N: The first recorded experiment with artificial insemination took place in the late 1700s and was performed by a Scottish surgeon named John Hunter. This experiment was successful. After that, other doctors also attempted to perform experiments with artificial insemination, with varying levels of success. In 1884 an American doctor named William Pancoast impregnated a woman with donated sperm, which was also successful. Doctor Williams himself is completely fictional, as I have no idea which (if any) doctors in New York were willing to perform this procedure in the early 1900s.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** **At last, the final chapter of this story. One small warning, there is a mention of vomiting at one point. I don't think it's very graphic at all, but if that bothers you I would recommend not reading from the line "Almost as soon as Jennie was standing, her stomach suddenly flipped." to the line "Jennie waited a minute until she heard the front door open and close, then she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and sank to the floor."**

"Are ya sure ya wanna do this? Ya don't hafta if ya don't wanna."

"I'm sure, Charlie," Jennie reassured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze and smiling softly at him. "Absolutely."

It had taken less convincing than Jennie had thought it would to get Crutchie to agree to Katherine's idea. She had been relieved at first, but now that the day of the procedure had dawned Crutchie seemed to be having second thoughts.

"We don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable. This isn't just about me," Jennie said after a minute.

"No!" Crutchie exclaimed, drawing the stares of the few other patients in the clinic's waiting room. He flushed pink and lowered his voice. "No. I wanna do this, for both of us." He smiled at Jennie. "I'm sure. Absolutely."

Just then, the door at the end of the hallway opened and the nurse from Jennie's first visit stepped into the waiting room. "Mr. and Mrs. Morris?"

Jennie and Crutchie exchanged a nervous glance, then stood and walked hand in hand into the doctor's office.

 _ **-Break-**_

"I'm home!" Crutchie called as he entered his and Jennie's apartment and took his coat off.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Jennie called back.

When Crutchie walked into the kitchen he found Jennie standing at the stove with her back to him, slowly stirring a pot of soup. Grinning to himself, he wordlessly walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Charlie!" Jennie gasped in surprise, turning around to face him with an annoyed but loving expression on her face. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," Crutchie said, though his tone conveyed that he wasn't sorry at all. "I thought you heard me come in."

"Well, I didn't," Jennie replied, turning back to the stove. "You can be quite sneaky when you want to be. Now, go wash up for dinner."

"Yes Ma," Crutchie said, quickly moving out of the way when Jennie moved to playfully smack him with her spoon.

"You are an impossible boy, Charlie Morris!" Jennie called as Crutchie left the room. She smiled to herself. "An impossible boy."

 _ **-Break-**_

After dinner had been eaten and the dishes had been cleared away, Crutchie and Jennie sat in the parlor together. Crutchie was reading a book, and Jennie was carefully mending one of his socks. They sat in amicable silence, perfectly content with simply being in each other's company. Until Crutchie spoke up. "So… how ya been today Jennie?"

Jennie looked up, a slightly confused frown on her face. "Fine. Why-" she stopped when she saw the look on Crutchie's face. She knew what he was trying to ask. "It's only been a few weeks, Charlie. There's no way of knowing for sure until later."

Crutchie nodded, looking away from Jennie. "I know. I just… I'se tired of waitin'." He chuckled softly. "Jack always said I had the patience of a saint, but I sure as hell don't feel patient right now."

"Oh, Charlie." Jennie smiled sympathetically as she set her sewing aside and moved to sit down next to Crutchie. "I want to know too. So much that I think I'll burst if I don't find out this instant. But it doesn't work like that. We have to wait."

"I know." Crutchie sighed. "Wish it didn't, but it does."

Jennie smiled softly at Crutchie, then leaned over and kissed him gently. "We'll know soon. I have faith."

 _ **-Break-**_

The sun was already shining through the small windows of Crutchie and Jennie's bedroom when Jennie woke up a few weeks later. Sitting up slowly, she frowned. _Why did I sleep so late?_ She swung out of bed, quickly shrugging on a shawl to ward off the early morning chill in the room.

Almost as soon as Jennie was standing, her stomach suddenly flipped. She pressed a hand to her mouth and dashed over to the washbasin near the bed, leaning over it just in time to be sick.

As Jennie was in the midst of this, a knock sounded at the bedroom door. "Jennie? Are ya up? What's that noise?"

Jennie internally cursed, managing to get out "I'm fine, Charlie! I'll be out in a minute!" before she doubled over with nausea again.

"Okay." Crutchie sounded unsure, but he accepted what Jennie had told him. "I'm headin' to work now. I'll see ya this evenin'."

Jennie bit back a groan as she shakily took a breath. "Alright. Have a nice day!" she called.

"You too!" Crutchie called back.

Jennie waited a minute until she heard the front door open and close, then she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and sank to the floor. "What on Earth is wrong with me?" she wondered aloud. Then it hit her.

Jennie shot up from where she had been sitting and practically ran into the kitchen, ignoring how her stomach protested at the sudden movement. There was a small paper calendar hung on the wall next to the sink and she scanned it quickly, counting under her breath. "One, two three, four, five, six… seven weeks."

Jennie blinked, then counted again. "Seven… seven weeks." Her brain connected the dots. "I'm pregnant."

 _ **-Break-**_

"Jennie? I'm home!" Crutchie called as he stepped into the apartment, the same as he did almost every day.

"I'm in the kitchen!" was Jennie's reply, just as it was almost every day.

Crutchie entered the kitchen, expecting to see Jennie standing at the stove like usual. What he did not expect to see, however, was Jennie sitting at the dining room table with a barely suppressed grin on her face.

"What's goin' on?" Crutchie asked, sitting down in the chair next to Jennie. "Is everythin' okay?"

"Everything's perfect, Charlie," Jennie said, her grin becoming even wider. "I have something to tell you."

"Okay," Crutchie said. "What is it?" Then, his expression changed. His eyes widened, and he clasped one of Jennie's hands tightly. "Jennie, are you…?"

Jennie nodded, positively glowing with excitement. "Yes," she giggled.

Crutchie stared at Jennie for a few seconds, stunned into silence, and then he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. "Oh my… we'se gonna be parents!"

"Yes," Jennie breathed. "Parents." She kissed Crutchie again.

"I love ya so much, ya know that?" Crutchie looked as though he might burst with happiness.

"I believe you told me that, once or twice," Jennie said. "And I love you too."

"A _baby_." Crutchie was still in a state of disbelief. "I… I can't believe it."

"I can." Jennie smiled, leaning in close. "I told you to have faith."

Crutchie chuckled. "I know, I know. An' you were right." He squeezed Jennie's hand. "I'm so glad you were right."

 **A/N: I will be writing more stories about Crutchie and Jennie in the coming weeks, I love this couple I've created too much to leave them alone just yet. Their baby will actually be entering the world in the next story, so if you'd like to guess about whether it's going to be a boy or a girl now is the time to do that. The next story will also mention Jack and Katherine's baby, so you can guess whether that's going to be a boy or a girl if you want to as well.**


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